Books For The Girly Girls

Both my kiddos love to read. Jensen doesn't sit still for much but he will sit down for a good book. This makes me over the moon happy because I have always been a big reader and think it is such a big deal to cultivate a passion for it at a young age. It definitely helps that we have a super cool library here in Midlothian that my kids love to go to and play at then hunt for and check out the perfect books...its seriously awesome!
Lately, Gianna has expressed interest in only one type of book...her type of book...girly girl books. So, this post is for all you mommas out there with girls who are looking for more books for your girly girl. Gianna is, more than ever, into dressing up and her newest obsession, accents and acting things out. So, not only do I need to read her a book nowadays but she gets to pick the accent that I read it in and she acts it out. (Watch out Oscars...this mother daughter duo is a force to be reckoned with!)
When Gianna was born, our dear Aunt Nancy bought Gianna the book Fancy Nancy and Her Friend Bree. It was my first time seeing this book and over the years it has absolutely become one of Gianna's favorites. It wasn't until about a year ago that I realized Fancy Nancy was a series of books so we started reading all of them. Gigi's friend Aubree recently turned us onto the Pinkalicious series and there began the obsession. So here is a brief list and description of Gianna's favorite girly girl books and we would LOVE to hear yours to add to our collection...happy reading!

Fancy Nancy by, Jane O'Conner and Robin Preis Glasser

We are definitely partial to Fancy Nancy as she was our very first girly girl book but also because she like to use cool fancy words. Gianna LOVES to try and incorporate Fancy Nancy's vocabulary into her vocabulary which is just too awesome! Some of the books, like the sticker books are also really fun because they let the child dress up the character in the story. It says ages 4-8 but Gianna has been enjoying these books since she was about 2 1/2 and the brightly colored pages definitely kept her attention.

Gigi, God's Little Princess by, Shiela Walsh

When Gianna was dedicated at church, her Auntie Nikki and Uncle D got her this adorable book and DVD series and the very fact that the little girls name is Gigi is just too awesome! It has an amazing spiritual message for little girls that they are all princesses because they are daughters to the greatest King of all God! Not to mention it incorporates all things pink and pretty! Its the perfect book for any little girl 3 and up.

Pinkalicious by, Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann

The Pinkalicious series is newer to us and we are having a great time reading this series of books and there are a lot to choose from. What we love best about this book series is that there is always lesson tucked in, she has an amazing imagination and she LOVES all things pink just like Gianna! There are also books called Goldilicious, Purplelicious, Silverlicious and Emeraldlicious. We haven't got to them all yet but Gianna's favorite is Goldilicous because its about Pinkalicious' imaginary unicorn Goldilicious and Gianna's favorite animal right now is a unicorn because, "even though they aren't real, they are the prettiest."

Shoe La La by, Karen Beaumont

Now this book is just plain fun to read! This is easily a 2 years and up book due to the colorful illustrations and fun rhyming, "Shoes with zippers, Shoes with straps, Shoes with buckles, Shoes with taps," but definitely fun for the older girly girl too because it's about 4 friends getting ready for a party and getting to go shopping and try every type of shoe. It's fun for any girl...even us BIG girls! lol

Penny Loves Pink by, Cori Doerrfeld

This book is specific to a girly girl about to have a little brother. It was THE PERFECT way to introduce the idea of having a little brother when Gianna was about 2 and to this day she loves to read it...mostly because she has it memorized and can "read" it to me. But this is just the most clever idea on how to introduce a world of pink to a little blue. Definitely a favorite in our house!

And finally...the new found, Ladybug Girl by, David Sowman and Jacky Davis

Part of Gianna's fascination with dressing up doesn't stop at princess gear...nope, she's into cute bugs and super heroes too. Key word being cute! So this series is perfect for her. Definitely falls into the 4 and up category and its quickly becoming a favorite. Can't wait to read more of them.

Seriously...it's July already?

This year is flying by! (But really, don't they all?) For the most part I'd say it's all been pretty good with the exception of a few health problems. I have been rocking my New Years theme for the year which was FOCUS (like I said I prefer themes over resolutions). I didn't exactly stick to my no social media apps on my phone (it only lasted a whole 3 months) but I must say I have cut back tremendously on social media. Living so far from home really made it difficult because it really is helpful to be able to see what's going on with everyone and I was getting hounded for not posting enough pics of the kiddos. lol The over all theme is still a work in progress and I am always looking for ways to focus on my top priorities...God, family, health.
Staying involved in church, bible study, and life group has been great but I find my focus on just time with me and God and really spending time in His word while showing my kiddos what that looks like and teaching them ways to do the same has been awesome. Gianna really enjoys waking up first thing in the morning and doing her devotional while we listen to worship music. In fact, she has already become much more disciplined than me so if we miss a morning you better believe I hear about it.
Gianna started preschool this last month and she absolutely LOVES it! She has talked about going to school since she understood the concept and every day that's a school day is good day for her. She spends the rest of the day telling us how amazing it was and all about what she learned. Her favorite part is meeting new friends though which is what she always says about church too. Her teachers always tell us that she is very attentive and listens great in class but is definitely a social butterfly during play time. It definitely warms my heart to hear that she is doing so well. Gianna going to preschool has also been great for Jensen because he loves getting that one on one mom time and I love it too! He's getting SO big SO fast that I know its only a blink of an eye and I'll be sending him on his way to preschool too! (*tear*)

As far as focusing on health, a lot of changes have taken place this year. I decided a while back that I really wanted to focus on modeling for my kids what healthy looked like and that meant I needed to... get healthy! I have seen the negative effects that focusing too much on diet and exercise and obsessing about being skinny can do as well as the complete opposite by not eating well and not exercising so my focus has been moderation which I think is the real definition of healthy. The result has been that I have lost 25ish pounds without really "dieting", I'm going to the gym or doing something active 4 to 5 days a week and as of April I started running, which I said I would never do, in an effort to complete a 5k (which I am doing in less than 2 weeks!) It has helped me to set small goals along the way and that has been one of them. Another BIG help has been throwing out that stinkin' scale! I finally got rid of that thing and only know what I weigh as of my last doc appt. (It is seriously the best thing in the world to do...highly recommend it!)
My kids LOVE the gym we belong to so it makes it easier for me to go during the day and take them because they love to be there too. Not to mention it feels good to hear Gianna say, "Good job working out mom!" I absolutely could not go it alone and have used the book "Made to Crave" as I did before getting pregnant with Jensen as a tool to not only find the healthy life style I want to embody as an example for my kids but use it as a way to grow my relationship with the Lord. I have been so fortunate in the last couple months to co-lead a bible study on this book and something I have become so passionate about in an effort to help others along in their journey and it has been such a blessing!

So, that is how my theme for the year is going so far...in a very tiny nut shell. We have also been super busy with family visiting which has been so great! This year we have had a family member here every single month except May when we went to CA. How cool is that? It definitely makes it easier to be away from CA having visitors so often. Having family come to visit has also given us the excuse to get out and explore Texas which we really love more and more all the time. The rest of this year and into next year will be just as busy as my sister Chelsea is getting married this time next year to her now fiancé Joey (eek!) and I am the Matron of Honor along with my sister Chloe who is the Maid of Honor so there is lots of fun planning and events to partake in.

So, yeah that's what's been going on! Here's hoping that the second half of the year is just as awesome as the first and that I survive my 5k on the 20th! Lol...until next time!

Going "Home"

After 8 months of living in Texas, we finally made the journey back to California. I had quite a few people tell me how disappointed they were that I haven't kept up on my blogging as promised so, here I try again. No promises though as to how well I will do keeping it up as I have started up again many a times but here goes nothing. So, on to the two week adventure back to good ol' Cali. 
I for one was very excited to go "home" as it had been sometime since I had seen my dad (who has yet to make it out here...hint, hint) and a lot of other family and friends. I will say, the time we have lived out here went by quicker than I had imagined it would but it seemed forever and no time all at once if that makes any sense at all. Our main reason for going back was to see our good friends, Kirk and Cassey James tie the knot which we wouldn't have missed for the world but Daniel was the Best Man so that was all the more reason to go.

We had planned for Daniel to fly out with us and stay a week and then the kids and I were going to stay an additional week to get in some extra time...but that's not exactly how it worked out. Daniel got called to a meeting in Tucson the week before so I ended up flying solo with the two kiddos both ways. Not ideal. BUT, we made it and I will say there is nothing like struggling with two kids, a stroller, luggage and carry on all by yourself to bring out the best in people. I was pleasantly surprised to see how awesome people were to help us along the way. Now, if only someone would have found a way to subdue my screaming son the last 40 minutes of the flight there that would have been awesome! But, nevertheless we survived and I still love my husband immensely even though I may or may not have said otherwise at the time.
Our first week, we stayed with Daniels mom and got in lots of time with his side of the family as well as got to partake in the beautiful festivities of the James Wedding. It was awesome to get to see our friends and family and the weather for Fresno at that time of year was perfect. Kirk and Cassey definitely lucked out in that category and overall the wedding was one of the most unique and perfect weddings I have been to...so totally them and even more awesome was the fact that they were able to do it on her families ranch, a location she has wanted to get married at since she was a kid. How cool is that?
The next day we attended a family reunion for Daniels moms family in a tucked away spot in the foothills and the kids had the best time running around with their cousins. We were also able to be there while Daniels grandmothers ashes were scattered in a beautiful spot among the trees. I was so happy that we were able to be apart of such a special event.

Later that week Daniel left back to Texas as planned and the kids and I were super sad to see him go. But we had big plans for our last week...most importantly this momma getting some much needed girl time with her best buds in what I like to believe is the happiest place on earth, CA wine country along the central coast. We relocated over to my parents house and the kiddos had the best time hanging with their aunties and my parents. Jensen was in awe of Grammies embroidery machines working away all day...he loves to see how things work! I also took this week to eat all the food I have been missing! Dog House Grill, Tokyo Steakhouse, Broilers...the list goes on and I am still stuffed!

Our two weeks in California were absolutely jam packed with fun, love and laughter but truthfully the best part of the trip for me was recognizing in myself all the ways that I have both changed and stayed the same since we made the big move. I was glad to see that I missed my new home and friends while I was gone and that while I loved being in old familiar territory I really do love our new life in Texas. That's not to say that my heart didn't absolutely ache to leave everyone again...especially "my" ocean where my heart is always at its happiest...because it did. I just mean to say that its awesome to see that we, as a family, have completely embraced this new chapter that God has opened for us and for now we feel 100% certain that we are right where we need to be. I know in my heart though that I am a California girl through and through...always have been, always will but for now I am embracing my inner Texan and loving every minute of it. Until next time California!

Cheers to the New Year!

I LOVE New Years...I always have. There is nothing like the idea of a clean slate...A fresh start... whether real or imagined, to help you look at life in a new perspective. Its also a good time to slow down, look back and reflect on all the changes and blessings in our ever evolving lives. Looking back on this last year, 2012, was a mixture of change, emotions, chaos and more blessings than I can count. I haven't blogged since we moved into our new home but truthfully its been awesome madness. I put together this video of our BIG move to save some time. :)

Since we moved in 6 weeks ago, we have had Thanksgiving, Daniel's dad, then his mom, for a short period my mom, sister and Daniel's mom at the same time, Jensen's 1st Birthday, Christmas, and that brings us to now. Phew! It was really so awesome to see some of our family...we had missed them SO much! (especially the kids!) It was a great opportunity to explore some of the Dallas/Fort Worth area with them too since it was new to all of us.
Now that we are finally having a chance to experience what our new normal will be like here, its perfect that a New Year is upon us too. The last few years I have opted to create a theme for my new year rather than a resolution...one word that sums up what I want out of the year or to accomplish. It helps me to remember what I wanted to accomplish through out the year. This year my theme is Focus. I want to be better at focusing on what is most important in my life...faith, family, friends, health and get rid of all the nonsense that distracts me from those things. First on the agenda...social media apps...yikes! The ultimate time stealing addiction! I am going to continue to blog and have a Facebook page but I removed everything from my phone so it's not so readily available. Wish me luck! There is a lot more that I have to change to accomplish my goal but there are too many to be named. Maybe I'll blog about them as I come upon them.
So, as we say good bye to 2012 and say hello to 2013, I must say to all my friends and family thank you. You have all in some way or another been a huge support to us as we have transitioned into this new life and we are so grateful. Man, what a year of change. We are so looking forward to seeing what awesome plans He has in store for us in this New Year. A Happy and Healthy New Year to you all! XOXO